Recently, a good friend and cycling guru sent me an email with a link to a blog he thought I would love. To be honest, I do enjoy the blog and the sense of humor of the blogger!
The name of the blog is "superclydesdale" which is one name used to describe the big guys in the world of cycling. There are not a lot of big tall dudes in pro cycling. Those that exceed six-feet typically weight between 165-180 pounds ... now that is skinny! A rider at 200 pounds is considered a "Clydesdale"; at 220 pounds a "Superclydesdale"; and a "Pachyderm" if said rider is way over 220 pounds. OMG ... I've always considered myself a "Clyde" and now I find out that I am an elephant! Now that really hurts!
Being a big guy has it's share of good and bad. The good is that we really fly on the downhill sections of our rides. We also make it easy for the little guys to draft behind us since we cut a large swath through the air. On the bad side ... the single most challenging thing for the big rider is going up hills. In all my riding, I make sure to steer clear of any big long climbs. Just never been able to convince myself that pedaling up a steep hill is fun!
Over the years I've completed many century rides (100+ miles) and fought my way up the hills. The thing that is annoying is that the ride organizers always like to add the big climbs at about mile marker 87! At that point you are already toast and just want a nice downhill back to the start finish. But NO ... they like to torture the riders and I honestly believe they derive great pleasure watching the Clydes struggle on the climbs!
To illustrate, several years ago I did a Diabetes fundraiser called the "5 Lake Tour." The ride was in August and it was about eighty degrees when be began at 7:00 AM! At about mile ninety only a single climb stood between me and the barbecue at the finish line. The temperature was pushing up to almost one hundred degrees as I began the 3.5-mile climb up to Lake Matthews. The little skinny guys and gals were already enjoying lunch as I struggled to get to the top. Finally, I reached the top of the climb sweating and panting ... the water in my bottles was more than lukewarm but I soldiered onward. The reward was a seven mile downhill back to the park! Wish those little bitty riders could see me now ... flying down the mountain!
Let's fast forward to 2009. The majority of my riding the past several years has been on the flats. I'm still slow on the hills and don't really see that changing anytime soon. The difference is that when I do find myself climbing, my thoughts are positive and I've actually been climbing at a more steady rate while maintaining a nice rhythm! It's been a long time since I could say that!
Last Thursday, I ventured over to El Dorado Hills I spent one hour doing nothing but hill repeats! That is so unlike me and yet I felt pretty good. Struggled to maintain double digit speed going up but the 35-MPH on the downside made all the work getting to the top worthwhile.
Now where is that century ride that is guaranteed to be flat for the entire 100-miles?
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